Chapter 16 Brief description of the plot:
This chapter starts with Jurgis being taken away to jail in a patrol wagon because
he faced the charge of assault and battery. When Jurgis gets to jail he compares it to the factory where he worked and shows are they are similar and different. He also describes how he could barely get any sleep because he kept feeling rage about what he has committed and why he did it, although why was not mentioned in this chapter. Jurgis worries about Ona and his other family and friends and is wondering whether or not they will have enough money to survive until he, if allowed to, gets out of jail. When he goes in front of Justice Callahan his sentence is a week in jail and a bond of $300. He is immediately rushed back to his cell in which he hears bells rung several times. At first Jurgis thinks that these bells are signaling a fire, but after a little bit of time he realizes that it is Christmas Eve. The thought of Christmas saddened Jurgis even more and thought about how life used to be and how even the year before he could afford to walk through the city with his family and look into the shop windows, but this year he is in jail. This chapter ends with Jurgis or the narrator reciting a poem about the law, God, hell, heaven, pain, and suffering.
Characters in the Chapter:
Jurgis
Ona
Elzbieta
Marija
Connor
Jadvyga
Tamoszius Kuszleika
Stanislovas
Scully
Justice Callahan
Notable passages (including page number):
“What was the tyranny of prison compared with the tyranny of the past,” (pg 154)
“But no, their bells were not ringing for him…the carcass of some animal,” (pg 159)
Chapter 16
Brief description of the plot:
This chapter starts with Jurgis being taken away to jail in a patrol wagon because
he faced the charge of assault and battery. When Jurgis gets to jail he compares it to the factory where he worked and shows are they are similar and different. He also describes how he could barely get any sleep because he kept feeling rage about what he has committed and why he did it, although why was not mentioned in this chapter. Jurgis worries about Ona and his other family and friends and is wondering whether or not they will have enough money to survive until he, if allowed to, gets out of jail. When he goes in front of Justice Callahan his sentence is a week in jail and a bond of $300. He is immediately rushed back to his cell in which he hears bells rung several times. At first Jurgis thinks that these bells are signaling a fire, but after a little bit of time he realizes that it is Christmas Eve. The thought of Christmas saddened Jurgis even more and thought about how life used to be and how even the year before he could afford to walk through the city with his family and look into the shop windows, but this year he is in jail. This chapter ends with Jurgis or the narrator reciting a poem about the law, God, hell, heaven, pain, and suffering.
Characters in the Chapter:
Jurgis
Ona
Elzbieta
Marija
Connor
Jadvyga
Tamoszius Kuszleika
Stanislovas
Scully
Justice Callahan
Notable passages (including page number):
“What was the tyranny of prison compared with the tyranny of the past,” (pg 154)
“But no, their bells were not ringing for him…the carcass of some animal,” (pg 159)